So Sad to Belong to Someone Else
by chikki1
Summary: My own little version of how Tasuki & Chichiri might have met before everything happened...^_~ And how things might have been afterwards. (YAOI; Tas/Chi)


SO SAD TO BELONG TO SOMEONE ELSE (1/1)  
BY : Chikki (tasuchi_noda@langoo.com | http://www.crosswinds.net/~chikki ) 

Warnings Tasuki has a _VERY_ impressive vocabulary of official "bandit" words, no da…so it's PG 13 for swearing…oh…and some yaoi too,na no da. (^_^) Song is from England Dan, "Sad to Belong"  
Disclaimer Not mine. Never will be,na no da.   


--------------

_Met you on a springtime day  
You were minding your life and I was minding mine too_  
  
  
The sun shone brightly on the lone, blue-haired monk walking down the path. The frozen smile on his masked face did not waver as he looked up at the mountain looming before him; even when he plopped down on the ground to catch his breath.  
  
"What's the matter, Chichiri?" came an amused voice from the sky, "Traveling life finally getting too much out of you?"  
  
Chichiri glanced up and glared, mask mimicking his expression perfectly. "Taiits-kun, no daaa…" he said, talking to his teacher, who he knew was just sitting high and comfy on her mountain, watching his ordeal. "I know monks are supposed to travel, no da…But is there really no other way to Honsho except through Mt. Reikaku, no da? I've heard lots of rumours about the bandits there, no daaa…"  
  
The withered face of Taiits-kun suddenly appeared in front of Chichiri's own and the ppor, frightened monk scrambled backwards, startled at the sudden appearance of his creator. "DAAA!"  
  
Taiits-kun clacked her tongue wearily at him in mock disappointment. "Really, Chichiri…I would have thought that you were used to me by now…"  
  
Chichiri refused to comment and simply glared at his teacher. "Hmph, no da. Not funny, na no da."  
  
"Why are you so scared of bandits, Chichiri? Hmmm…?" Taiits-kun pressed, poking the monk t his side.  
  
"ITAI, NO DA!" Chichiri yelped and jumped out of the way. Sooting a look that promised death, revenge and torture to Taiits-kun, he folded his arms across his chest. "I'm not scared of bandits, no da. I'm just not in the mood to run into any of them right now, no da!" Chichiri brushed back his bangs which had been plastered to his forehead by his sweat and sighed.  
  
Taiits-kun laughed and floated off the ground. "Oh, I don't know about that…you might change your mind later…"  
  
Chichiri snapped his head up sharply at this comment. "What do you mean by that, no da?"  
  
Taiits-kun's figure slowly started to disappear. "Let's just say that I know something that you don't know and for your own sake, I demand that you pass through Mt. Reikaku on your way to Honsho…"  
  
"You sure there's no other way, no da?" the miserable monk asked.  
  
The only remainder of Taiits-kun was the dry chuckle that hung in the air moments after she had completely disappeared. "Yes, I'm sure."  
  
Knowing that his Creator was watching him, Chichiri sighed, picked up his staff and began to make his way up the mountain.  
  
-=+=-  
  
"GEN-CHAAANNN!!!" Kouji hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Where the hell are 'ya?"  
  
Silence was all that answered the blue-haired bandit and Kouji grumbled under his breath. "Dammit…" he muttered as he continued to look for his best friend amongst the shrubbery.  
  
The sound of a twig snapping and a smothered curse made Kouji look up and smile secretly to himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of Genrou's wild, orange hair. Kouji continued to watch him and saw Genrou as he slithered into the forest, chuckling. His fangs glinted in the bright sunlight as he laughed.  
  
"So…" Kouji said and leaned against a tree, a smile tugging at his lips. "He wants to play, doesn't he…" he started after the path Genrou had taken and shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, two can play at that game…Right, Kouji? Definitely Kouji. I'll give him a head start and then we'll tackle him from behind…Good plan, Kouji! What happens next, Kouji?." Kouji smirked as evil ideas raced through his mind at what exactly he could do to the orange-haired bandit once he held him captive. "We'll see…"  
  
This decision made, he settled down into the crook of the tree and waited until it was the appropriate time to ambush his friend.  
  
-=+=-  
  
Genrou had trouble reigning in his insane laughter that was threatening to explode at any moment when he heard Kouji's frantic voice calling him. Giving a fanged grin, he slipped between the trees until he came into a small clearing where a lake waited for him, peaceful in its serenity.  
  
Still grinning, he discarded his heavy black coat. It was too hot for it anyway. Genrou whistled as he walked the length of the lake shore, coat forgotten on the ground.  
  
He stopped thoughtfully at the foot of one tree and looked up. "Hmm…" he thought. "Kouji would have a hell of a hard time if I hide up there…" He contemplated the pros and cons of the situation.  
  
The good side of it was that it would be fun to watch Kouji work himself up into an angry frenzy, The bad side was that hiding in a tree might delay their…activities.   
  
Genrou finally decided to climb up the tree and see what kind of view he got, then give his final decision after.  
  
With the practiced nimbleness of his being, Genrou climbed up the tree and crouched down low on one of the branches. He swept his cat-like gaze over the landscape before it landed on a figure perched on a rock on the other side of the lake.  
  
His mouth hanging open in surprise, he squinted and cocked his head to one side. Kouji? "Naahh, couldn't be." Genrou reasoned, shaking his head vigorously. "How'd that idiot get here so fast?"  
  
He leaned in for a closer look. His perch on the branch was getting precarious, but he didn't mind.  
  
The bandit just wanted to see who was sitting on the rock.   
  
A colorful, red-feathered bird appeared and landed beside him on the branch. It fixed the bandit with a beady gaze before opening its beak to give a loud "SQUAWK!"  
  
"Urusai!" Genrou snapped at the bird. He blinked.  
  
The bird was gone.  
  
  
  
_Baby when you look my way  
I feel a strange sensation, and darling that's when I knew_  
  
  
  
"At laaast…no…(pant)…daaa…" Chichiri groaned as he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. He had been climbing for half a day and finally, he had arrived at the part where Mt. Reikaku joins the path to Hansho.  
  
The blue-haired monk pulled himself onto a rock where he sat down, his breathing still unsteady. With a shaking hand, he retrieved his kasa from the back of his neck and started to fan himself with it. "So hot, no da!"  
  
Sudden;y, his kasa was snatched away from his grasp and Chichiri looked up in surprise to see a huge bird with sweeping red feathers looking at him impishly, the kasa in its beak.  
  
Chichiri laughed and stroked the bird on the head. "Ah! Are you feeling hot too, no da?"  
  
The bird ruffled its feathers proudly and flew away, Chichiri's kasa still in its beak.  
  
Chichiri gave a good-natured groan and began to chase after the bird.  
  
"C'mon, nice birdie, no da!" he coaxed. "Give Chichiri his kasa back."  
  
The bird ignored his pleas and flew faster.  
  
Chichiri gave up coaxing and ran furiously after the bird. So occupied was he with chasing the bird that he did not watch as to where he was going.  
  
"ITAI, no da!" he yelled as he went flying into the ground. He winced in pain and looked back to see what he had tripped over.  
  
It was a long black coat. Chichiri stood up and gathered the dark material in his hands. He looked around, wondering as to whom the coat belonged to.  
  
He spied his kasa on the ground and put it behind his neck, grateful for the added protection against the heat. Briefly, Chichiri wondered where the bird had gone to but he dismissed it as unimportant.  
  
Chichiri turned the coat over in his hands before bringing it up to bury his face in it. It smelled nice…like pine and spruce mixed with something he couldn't identify.  
  
"Oi." Said a rough voice. Chichiri looked up and tensed. Bandits? Oh, please Suzaku…not now…he was too tired to deal with bandits now! He sighed.  
  
Gathering his courage, Chichiri took off his mask and tightened his grip on his staff. "Who's there, no da?"  
  
A flash of movement caught his eye and he watched as a figure gracefully leapt down from a tree.  
  
"Who are you, no da?" Chichiri demanded, unconsciously still holding tightly onto the coat.  
  
The figure's head came into view, revealing a young man with firey hair and amber eyes. He grinned, exposing his overgrown canines.  
  
"I think that's mine." He said, gesturing towards the coat Chichiri still clutched in his left hand.  
  
Chichiri narrowed his good eye at the man before him. "Are you a bandit, no da?"  
  
The orange-haired man gave him an exaggerated bow. "Genrou, Mt. Reikaku bandit. At 'yer service."  
  
Chichiri still looked suspicious. After all , one can't be too cautious in these parts. "Aren't you going to try and rob me, no da?"  
  
Genrou rolled his eyes and placed his hands behind his head. "Nah. The only thing I want form you right now is my coat." He gestured again to the dark fabric in Chichiri's hamds.  
  
"Okay, no da." Chichiri said and tossed the coat to Genrou. Genrou failed to catch it and the coat fell on the ground.  
  
"Damn." Tasuki swore and reached down for his coat.  
  
"Daa…." Chichiri said and reached down at the same time.  
  
Both reached for the crumpled fabric on the ground and their hands paused moments before they would actually touch.  
  
A pink shade stained Chichiri's cheeks, and his mind raced to stop him from thinking about Genrou like that. There was just something about the young bandit, though. Chichiri felt as if he was connected to him somehow…  
  
Meanwhile, Genroun was not so happy about the way his thoughts went. It was not a secret that he preferred the company of men over women but…Fuck it all. He just met the guy! Doesn't even know his name yet! He smacked himself mentally on the head. "That's it." He mused. "I've been working too hard…"  
  
Genrou took a deep breath and raised his head at the same time Chichiri raised his own.  
  
Amber met mahogany and Chichiri could swear that he could see the bird that had stolen his kasa take flight as they locked gazes.  
  
  
  
_Oh it's sad to belong to someone else, when the right one comes along  
Yes it's sad to belong to someone else, when the right one comes along_  
  
  
  
  
A sudden sound snapped both men from the trance that they were in and Genrou let out a surprised yelp as he was tackled from behind.  
  
"Haha! We got him, Kouji!" Kouji yelled as he straddled Genrou, preventing the other bandit from moving. "He smiled at the other bandit beneath him.  
  
"Kouji no baka!" Genrou exclaimed, trying to push the older bandit off him. "What the hell do 'ya think 'yer doin'?? Get off me right now!"  
  
"Well, you're the one who was sneaking off…" Kouji pointed out, still not making any move to free Genrou.  
  
Now, Chichiri was watching all this with a confused expression on his face. He forced a smile, trying to beat down the gried that suddenly overwhelmed him. "Well, I'll just be going now, na no da!" he chirped and winced inwardly. His own voice sounded painfully fake to his own ears.  
  
Kouji looked up and raised his eyebrows at Chichiri. "And who are 'ya?"  
  
Genrou stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh. He found may coat." He turned a blank face towards Chichiri. "What was your name again?"  
  
"I never told you my name, no da." The monk said quietly and handed Genrou his coat. "It's Chichiri. I'll leave you two alone now, no da."  
  
Kouji nodded at him. "You go and do just that." He switched his full attention to Genrou. "We've got something planned…right koi?"  
  
"Uhh…yeah." Genrou said absently, gaze never wavering from Chichiri's face.  
  
Kouji noted the weary tone in his friend's voice and moved closer. "Gen-chan? What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Doesn't look like nothing." Kouji said and frowned. "C'mon, let Kouji-chan make you feel all better…"  
  
Genrou barely had time to breathe before he felt Kouji's lips plant light kisses along jis cheek, moving closer to his mouth.  
  
Mind spinning in confusion, Genrou shifted a tawny gaze to Chichiri qho gave him a sad smile. With a nod of his head, the blue-haired monk turned and started walking down the path. "Ja ne, no da."  
  
Then he was gone.  
  
Genrou looked down at the other bandit before him and sighed. "Chichiri…"  
  
Kouji's head turned to look at him. "What was that?"  
  
"Nothing Kou-chan, nothing." Genrou assured and began to respond to his friend's minstrations, glad for the love being offered do freely.  
  
  
  
_Oh, I wake up in the night, and I reach beside me hoping you would be there  
But instead I found someone who believes in me when I said I'd always care  
_  
  
  
"How do you feel?" came the voice from the sky.  
  
Chichiri groaned and tried to ignore it, but its persistence won in the end. "Please Taiits-kun…I would like to be alone for now, please."  
  
A silence stretched uncomfortably between teacher and student. Finally, the voice rang out again. "All right, Chichiri. I'll leave you alone now."  
  
Chichiri nodded, the only movement he was capable of at the moment and slumped down beneath a tree, letting his emotions take control over him. He didn't know why he felt this way, But he didn't care.  
  
-=+=-  
  
Kouji looked down at the owner of the bright hair spewed across his chest and smiled, his eyes reflecting how happy he truly was at the moment.  
  
He affectionately tousled the other's hair and tightened his hold on the other's waist. "Love 'ya, Gen-chan."  
  
Genrou made an incoherent noise and propped himself up on his elbows, looking at Kouji straight in the eye.  
  
Kouji met his lover's hesitant gaze with a wary smile. "What are you lookin' at me like that for?"  
  
Genrou gave a wry smile and closed his eyes with a resigned gesture. "Yeah…Love 'ya too, Kou-chan…" Then sleep overcame him again.  
  
Kouji grinned and rested his chin on top of the others head, possessiveness suddenly surging through him as he curled up against the man he loved.  
  
  
-= A FEW MONTHS LATER, HOTOHORI'S PALACE =-  
  
"Seven hundred fifty-eight, no da…Seven hundred fifty-nine, no da…Seven hundred sixty, na no da!" Chichiri counted as he stood up on his hands to keep from getting bored out of his mind, which he already was, anyway.  
  
He was currently going insane with boredom. He had sent Hotohori to Miaka and Nuriko with the help of his kasa and had volunteered to masquerade as the emperor while the others searched for the rest of the Suzaku Schiseishi.  
  
Suzaku Schisei Chichiri heard a noise behind him and barely had time to rush back to the throne and resume his melancholy state before one of Hotohori's chief advisors poked his head through the door.  
  
The monk-turned-emperor groaned inwardly but gestured for the Advisor to enter the throne room.  
  
Some far corner of his mind told him that the Advisor was talking, but he really was not in the mood to discuss politics right now. He kept nodding his head absently as his thoughts started to drift away…and away…and away…and they landed on a certain red-headed bandit.  
  
Chichiri sighed. It's been almost a year and still he couldn't erase Genrou's grinning face from his memory. "But I'm sure that I've been erased from his, no da." He muttered bitterly.  
  
The Advisor stopped babbling. "What was that, Your Majesty?"  
  
"Nothing." Chichiri said, using Hotohori's deep tone. "Er…you were saying?"  
  
Before the Advisor could resolve talking, a guard burst through the door, his eyes shining brightly. "The Suzaku no Miko has returned! And she found all of the missing seishi!"  
  
Chichiri almost fell out of his chair in his haste. "Are you sure?" he asked.  
The guard nodded happily. "They're entering through the gates right now and..huh…?"  
  
Both the guard and the Advisor blinked when "Emperor Hotohori" seemed to super-deform, develop gravity-defying bangs and rush out of the throne room at top speed.  
  
Chichiri flung the Emperor's robe behind him in a final liberating movement and rushed into the courtyard. He spotted Miaka's brunette head in the crowd, and he ran towards her, "da-ing" happily.  
  
"CHICHIRI!" Miaka said, hugging the super-deformed chibi in return.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?" yelled a startled voice and Chichiri turned to see whp had dared to insult his chibi form.  
  
Whatever he was going to say stilled in his lips when he saw fiery hair capturing the sunlight's rays. The amber, cat-like eyes he had committed to memory were now glinting with shocked anger in his direction.  
  
It was him.  
  
"Genrou…" he breathed, a peace coming over his heart.  
  
Shocked eyes stared back at him. "Chichiri?"  
  
Nuriko stared from the blue-haired monk to the red-haired bandit who were gaping at each other in shock. "Oh! Do you know Tasuki, Chichiri?"  
  
"Tasuki, no da?" Chichiri said, turning a puzzled glance towards Nuriko.  
  
The man who Chichiri knew as Genrou blushed sheepishly. "Oi. That would be me."  
  
"You're a seishi, na no da?"  
  
Tasuki nodded and his fiery forelocks fell across his forehead.  
  
At that moment, Chichiri felt extreme joy pulse through his entire being. In a distinctly unconscious gesture, he reached over a hand and brushed away Tasuki's bangs. This same hand was caught in another and both men froze as their eyes met each other again, drawn to each other.  
  
Nuriko chose this moment to clear his throat and both the bandit and the monk broke away, blushing. Nuriko winked mischievously at them. "I think we should be going in now."  
  
Chichiri nodded his agreement, head bowed down.  
  
Tasuki bared his fangs at Nuriko and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, yeah…whatever."  
  
  
_  
Oh, it's sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along  
Yes, it's sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along_  
  
  
  
-= HOKKAN , GENBU CONTRY, Nuriko has just died and is now in spirit form =-  
  
Nuriko watched helplessly as he saw Miaka collapse above his still form. "Miaka…" he began and reached out a translucent hand to grasp at her shaking shoulder. The purple-haired seishi winced inwardly when he could not touch Miaka's shoulder…he tried not to see as his hand simply passed through.  
  
Suddenly, Miaka stood up, startling everyone, including the spirit seishi watching her.  
  
"MIAKA NO BAKA!" Nuriko yelled, heart beating wildly in his chest as he saw his beloved miko slip through the trees. "MI-A-KA!" he called out again, though knowing that no one can hear.  
  
Nuriko gave a sigh of relief when he noticed that Tamahome had stood up and had ran after Miaka. His joy was short-lived, however, when he turned around and saw Tasuki crumpled up against a rock, body overwhelmed with grief.  
  
The rosy-eyed seishi frowned. Tasuki was like a younger brother to him and it hurt him to know that he was the cause of the loss of Tasuki's natural fire.  
  
Nuriko's gaze sifted over to the blue-haired monk who was watching Tasuki with both uncertainty and hesitation.  
  
Grinning, Nuriko bounced over to Chichiri, knowing that the monk was sensitive enough to life energy to notice Nuriko if he used the link he still had to the world. Nuriko used that very same link now to whap the monk lightly on the back of the head. "OI, CHICHIRI!"  
  
Chichiri looked up and frowned. "Da?" he asked.  
  
Nuriko sighed. Being a spirit was so frustrating. Gathering what little of his life force he had, Nuriko forced his way into Chichiri's thoughts, so that the monk would be able to see as well as hear him.  
  
"Konnichiwa, Chichiri-san!" Nuriko chirped cheerfully.  
  
"Nuriko?" Chichiri said disbelievingly, where are you, no da?"  
  
"I'm right above you, you baka!"  
  
Chichiri glanced up, and sure enough, there was Nuriko, floating above him, a cheerful smile on his face, just like the one he always had when he was still…alive.  
  
Chichiri looked back down, fixing his gaze into the ground. He could feel Nuriko frown. "Nuriko? Why did you have to die, no da?"  
  
Nuriko paused for a while before answering quietly. "It was my destiny, Chichiri. There was nothing I could do about it."  
  
"But did you have to die so soon?" Chichiri exclaimed, tears beginning to streak down his own face, but they were still hidden perfectly by the mask that he wore. Angrily, he took the mask off. "Chiriko's too young to see this and Tasuki…"  
  
Nuriko's voice was pained when he answered. "You think I don't know that? You think I haven't seen how everyone's reacting?"  
  
"Then why did you die?" the monk insisted. "Did all of us mean so little to you that you found it so DAMNED EASY TO LEAVE? Dammit, Nuriko!"  
  
Surprise evident in his voice, Nuriko smirked at the other seishi. " No, I did not die because of that. You all mean so much to me…even fangboy."  
  
Chichiri almost lost his composure at the mention of Tasuki's name. His voice was quiet when he finally spoke again. "You care about Tasuki? Look at him, Nuriko. Do you think what you just did was something that you do to someone you care about?"  
  
Nuriko glanced over his shoulder and saw Tasuki, still slumped on the rock, eyes lost and unseeing. He gave a frustrated growl. "I can't do anything about that! He closed his mind to the rest of us, so I can't get to him."  
  
"HE CLOSED HIS MIND?!?" Chichiri all but screamed. "NURIKO! YOU BETTER DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT!"  
  
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU!" Nuriko yelled back. "I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!"  
  
Chichiri collapsed and a silence stretched between the two seishi.  
  
"But…" Nuriko continued quietly. "You can…Chichiri."  
  
Chichri snapped back to attention. "Nani?"  
  
"Just…" said the spirit seishi. "Go to him. He needs you right now."  
  
"Why should I." Chichiri stated. "You're the one who died. Not me."  
  
"Well, I can't really talk to him right now." Nuriko glared. "And besides…you're the one obsessed with him. Not me." He smirked.  
  
All the color went out of Chichiri's face and he grasped for composure once more. "Nani? What did you say?"  
  
Nuriko gave the monk a resigned sigh and gently pushed Chichiri to look at Tasuki. "Don't try to deny it. I saw the way you looked at him the day we first cam back.:  
  
"D-demo…"Chichiri started.  
  
Nuriko's face enlarged. "GO TO HIM!"  
  
Chichiri cowered back, hands in front of his face. "Calm down, no da!"  
  
The dead seishi relaxed. "Well…go on!"  
  
"I…" the monk said. "I can't no da."  
  
"WHAT?!?"  
  
Chichiri was sobbing freely now. "He already has someone, no da! My interfering would only hurt him all the more."  
  
Nuriko tried to console his friend. "Chichiri…"  
  
"Gomen ne, Nuriko-kun." He said. " I didn't mean to lash out at you like that."  
  
Nuriko nodded his understanding. "Well…just make sure that Tas-chan doesn't kill himself or anything like that."  
  
Chichiri bowed his head. "Hai." He said quietly.  
  
"I'm going now." Nuriko stated.  
  
"Okay, no da." Chichiri mused. "I'll see you in the next life, na no da."  
  
"BAKA!" Nuriko laughed. "I'll be watching the whole lot of you right until the end! So you better behave!"  
  
Chichiri finally managed a small smile. "Hai, na no da."  
  
"Oh, and Chichiri…?" Nuriko's rapidly fading voice said.  
  
"Hai, no da?"  
  
"Fix things up with Tasuki, okay? I think that the both of you would make a very cute couple!"  
  
"DAAA!"  
  
  
-= KONAN BATTLE GROUND , the Suzaku side has just lost their powers & Kutou is winning=-  
  
  
"ARGH!" Tasuki yelled as he lashed out at another Kutou soldier. Damn, he wanted his tessen! He wanted to swing it around and ROAST all these fucking soldiers until all that was left was their ashes and the stench of their burned flesh in the air.  
  
"But…" he thought bitterly as he swung out on yet another soldier who tried to attack him. "My tessen doesn't work…No use in swinging it around."  
  
He was momentarily distracted by his thoughts and realized his consequence when six Kutou soldiers surrounded him on all sides.  
  
Tasuki bared his fangs at them. "'YA DAMNED BASTARDS!"  
  
Three of the soldiers rushed forward and without his seishi capabilities, Tasuki found it difficult to get so much as a scratch on them.  
  
Just when he thought that he couldn't fight anymore, he caught a flash of blue and he stared at it in shock. Suddenly, Chichiri was right beside him, helping him fight off the soldiers.  
  
"Oi!" Tasuki said, smirking. "I could'a handled them all. 'Ya didn't need to help me!"  
  
Chichiri snorted as he put out another soldier. "Sure, no da. You looked like you were about to pass out from exhaustion, na no da."  
  
Tasuki just glared at the monk beside him and only when all their attackers had been disposed of did he express his gratitude to the other seishi.  
  
"Hey, Chichiri…" Tasuki said, cautiously approaching the blue-haired monk.  
  
"Hai, no da?" he replied, turning around so that he could face Tasuki.  
  
Tasuki momentarily closed his eyes. _Damn, his no da's are cute._  
  
"Tasuki-kun, no da? Are you all right? Did those soldiers hurt you,na no da?"  
  
The bandit smacked himself out of his reverie. "Ah..er, I'm fine Chichiri. I just wanted to say Arigato."  
  
The monk looked confused. "For what, na no da?"  
  
"For saving my ass back there."  
  
Chichiri gave him a triumphant grin. "See? I told you!"  
  
"Don't push it Chichiri…"  
  
The two sat down in silence together before both were startled by a loud noise.  
  
Tasuki squinted his eyes and saw the Kutou army coming down the mountainside. "Holy Shit! There's hundreds of them!"  
  
The soldiers arrived sooner than expected and the two Suzaku seishi soon found themselves in the heat of battle once again.  
  
"There's..too…goddamned many of them!" Tasuki shouted over the chaos while trying to block out the punches thrown his way.   
  
"DA!" Chichiri agreed, desperately trying to hold off his own attackers.  
  
Tasuki felt like screaming in frustration. "What the hell do we do now?!"  
  
"Tas-chan, no da!" Chichiri called out. "Watch out!"  
  
Tasuki froze the moment he heard Chichiri call him "Tas-chan", but he regained composure quickly and rolled away, covering Chichiri's body with his own. He was just in time to avoid getting hit by the fleet of arrows that were thrown in their direction.  
  
Chichiri then helped a cursing Tasuki to his feet and both of them turned to look for the people who had thrown the arrows.  
  
A familiar face greeted them both and a painfully-remembered voice called out to them. "Hello! Who's there? It's Kouji. Oh, hello, Kouji, thanks for saving us! No problem. Say Kouji, who's that with you? It's the way cool Mt. Reikaku bandits come to help their way cool Mt. Reikaku bandit leader!"  
  
Tasuki's face brightened up instantly and he ran towards his best friend. "KOUJI!"  
  
Kouji also began to run towards Tasuki. "GENROU!"  
  
Everyone sweatdropped as the two did their ritual "happy dance"  
  
But somewhere in the back, a certain blue-haired monk looked away in jealousy and sadness.  
  
  
_So I live my life in a dream world for the rest of my days  
Just you and me walking hand in hand in a wishful memory  
Oh, I guess that this is all we could ever be_  
  
  
-= AFTER EVERYTHING WAS OVER, Tasuki & Chiri are about to part ways=-  
  
  
Chichiri tries to relax as he prepared himself for travel. He was going to be leaving the palace…and Tasuki…in a few days. But he couldn't. His mind was spinning and his heart was beating so fast, it hurt.  
  
"I am a monk, no da…" he muttered to himself over and over. "I am supposed to wander, no da…I should not become too attached to anything, na no da…"  
  
And so this was how the blue-haired monk spent his last few days in the palace. During the day, he wandered and fished at random lakes and during the night, he would retire to his room right after dinner.  
  
Tasuki was avoiding him. The two had barely had a real conversation ever since Kouji had arrived and Chichiri was trying to accept the sad truth.  
  
He sighed, and brought his knees up to his chest. Accept the truth. Yeah, he could do that. But why does the truth always have to hurt?  
  
  
-=+=-  
  
"Mary had a (hic!) little lamb! Little lamb! Little lamb!" Tasuki sang, obviously drunk.  
  
Beside him, Kouji laughed and applauded, also hopelessly drunk.   
  
Tasuki bowed and laughed, words slurring together. "Heh. Miaka's the one who taught me that fuckin' song..heh..Miaka no baka…always teaching me songs and I don't have the slightest idea what the hell they mean…"  
  
Kouji ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "I think the song's about some cake or something like that."  
  
"Yeah…" Tasuki laughed. "Cake…cat…China!"  
  
Kouji laughed along and continued the charade. "Camp…court…uh…cart!"  
  
Tasuki's laugh became more somber until he was just whimpering quietly. "Cute…Charming…Chichiri…"  
  
Kouji stopped laughing and looked at his friend worriedly. "Gen-chan?"  
  
Collapsing on top of the table, Tasuki buried his flushed face on his arms. "Chichiri…"  
  
Unexpectedly, the blue-haired bandit gathered his best friend in his arms and gave him a fierce hug. "Shh…Gen-chan…"  
  
Tasuki sobbed openly, cheek resting on Kouji's chest, surrounded by Kouji's strong arms. "Chichiri…"  
  
Kouji closed his eyes. "Shh, don't cry, Gen-chan…It'll be all right…"  
  
  
-= THE NEXT DAY =-  
  
  
Tasuki approached the blue-haired monk cautiously, hesitant about his decision.  
  
"Ohayo Chichiri-san!" he called out, hoping that his nervousness did not show in his voice.  
  
The other seishi turned towards him and gave the bandit a surprised, but pleased smile. "Tasuki-kun, no da! Where have you been the last few days, na no da? I've barely seen you, no da…" he brushed a stray bang away from his eye.  
  
Tasuki shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Oh, y'know…around."  
  
"Around, no da?" Chichiri asked, eyebrows raised.  
  
"Getting drunk." Tasuki said, with typical bluntness.  
  
There was a silence for a few moments and the bandit was fidgeting nervously. He didn't like the way that he felt right now. He was as tense as he was before a fight. I have to relax, dammit! He thought fiercely.   
  
The silence had continued to drag on and when Tasuki was about to say something, he was interrupted.  
  
Chichiri looked away from the bandit and shifted his gaze towards the lush landscape of Konan instead. "With…Kouji-san, no da?"   
  
Tasuki swallowed, but the lump in his throat did not go away. "Hai." The red-haired seishi said, forcing a laugh. "The both of us had been getting fucking plastered every night."  
  
The silence again.  
  
Baring his fangs, Tasuki cursed himself inwardly for being too frank. He looked at the staff in Chichiri's hand and the kasa on his head. He gestured towards them, "So, you're all ready to go? Where you plannin' on goin'?" he asked.  
  
"Oh…"said Chichiri. "Wandering, no da. Technically, that's what wandering monks usually do. And you? Where are you going, no da?"  
  
Tasuki ran a hand through his hair and winced when it got caught in a tangle. "Me? Oh..I'm…" he got distracted with the tangle in his hair and was unable to finish replying.  
  
Chichiri laughed quietly and walked up to Tasuki. "Here, no da." He said softly. "Let me do that for you."  
  
The bandit closed his eyes as nimble fingers threaded through his hair and smoothed the many tangles there.  
  
Enjoying the feeling of Chichiri's hands in his hair, Tasuki almost did not notice when the monk pulled his hands away and fixed him in a firm, mahogany gaze. "There no da." Chichiri said happily. "All done."  
  
Tasuki blinked when he saw hesitation flash through the others eye for an instant. "Uh…yeah. Thanks, Chichiri."  
  
Chichiri nodded, his gravity-defying bangs bopping in the air. "You were saying, no da?"  
  
"Well…" Tasuki began. "I'm probably going to go back to Mt. Reikaku with Kouji. He's over at the stable right now, checking out the horses. I'm sp'sed to join him later."  
  
Chichiri nodded once and then looked away. "Well…"  
Tasuki smirked weakly. This was not supposed to go this way, dammit! "Yeah…"  
  
"I'll be seeing you, no da. Just call if you need me or anything, na no da."  
  
"Okay." Said Tasuki, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. "And if you're ever around Mt. Reikaku, feel free to drop by."  
  
"Thank you, no da." The monk replied cheerfully. "I just might take you up on that, no da."  
  
Tasuki looked up. "Well…see 'ya." He turned around, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach and started to walk away when Chichiri's arm shot out to stop him. "Wait, na no da."  
  
Tasuki turned a confused glance at his friend. "Nani?"  
  
Chichiri suddenly rushed forward and pulled the other seishi towards him in a hug. Blinking back tears of sadness, he said the words in his mind, for he knew that he would never get enough courage to say them out loud. _I love you._  
  
Pleasantly surprised by the rare show of emotion, Tasuki hugged the mage back. "Take care, Chiri…" he whispered against the other's ear. Then, Chichiri pulled back, nodded once and then started off down the path.  
  
Tasuki watched as Chichiri disappeared into the horizon and only then did he say what he had truly wanted to say to the monk. "I love you."   
  
  
_ I wish I had a time machine, so that I could  
Make myself go back until the day I was born  
_  
  
  
Up in Mt. Taiikyoku, Taiits-kun watched the two remaining Suzaku seishi part ways and smiled secretly to herself. Still smiling, the Creator laughed and clapped her hands. "Nyan nyan!"  
  
One blue-haired girl popped out of nowhere. "Nyan-nyan here! Have you discovered how to keep Tasuki and Chichiri together, Taiits-kun?"  
  
Taiitskun nodded. "Yes. But now I need…"  
  
Another Nyan-nyan appeared. "Nyan-nyan present! Taiits-kun! What about Kouji?"  
  
Taiits-kun frowned at the Nyan-nyan's sudden appearance. "I have plans for him, don't worry!"  
  
A third Nyan-nyan popped up in front of her face. "Nyan-nyan here! To save Taiits-kun from her ugly face!"  
  
BAM!!  
  
Taiits-kun rubbed her fist in satisfaction and laughed at hearing the Nyan-nyan's screams as they flew up into the sky.  
  
She sighed. Some jobs…you just have to do for yourself.  
  
Smiling, she reached for one of the globes hanging in midair and began to chant.  
  
  
_And I would live my life again  
And rearrange it so that I'll be yours from now on_  
  
  
  
-= MODERN DAY JAPAN, in front of the local university =-  
  
  
The sun shone down brightly on the lone, blue-haired college student walking down the path. The smile on his handsome face did not waver even as he looked up and saw that a majority of the students have already gone home.  
  
"HOUJUN!! HOUJUN!!"  
  
Houjun looked up from the book that he was reading. The handsome boy barely had time to brace himself before Shun'u launched himself onto his boyfriend, causing the both of them to fall onto the soft grass of the school courtyard.  
  
"SHUN-CHAN!" Houjun exclaimed, trying to look angry at the fanged boy that was lying half-over him and failing. "How many times do I have to tell you?! Don't attack me like that!" he laughed.  
  
Above him, Shun'u pouted playfully. "Why? You seem to like being attacked…ITAI! DAMN!" for Houjun had pushed him onto his back and now, the blue-haired youth was smiling impishly down at him.  
  
"You were saying something about being attacked?" Houjun asked, amusement evident in his voice.  
  
Shun'u gave him his famous fanged grin. "Yeah. Something like that…"  
  
Just then, another blue-haired youth with a scar down his left cheek appeared and he laughed at the sight of his friends' predicament. "Hello, Houjun! Hello, Shun! Why, hello, Kouji! What are you doing here, Kouji? I was just trying to see what my two buddies were up to, but now I see that they're very busy, so I'm just gonna go and leave now. I have to go and meet Hikou in the cafeteria anyway. Ja ne!"  
  
And as quickly as he had appeared, Kouji vanished from sight, never once pausing in his monolugue.  
  
Shun'u glanced at Houjun and laughed when he saw that the other boy was blushing. "Oi! What're you blushin' for?"  
  
Houjun glared at him. "I'm not blushing."  
  
"Yes 'ya are."  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"Yes, 'ya are!"  
  
"No, I'm not!"  
  
"YES, YOU @#$%^ ARE!"  
  
"NO, I'M NOT, NO DAA!"  
  
Silence stretched between the two, each comfortable in the presence of the other. It was quite some time before Shun'u took note of their "interesting" position.  
  
He looked up at his soulmate and brushed a stray blue bang from his forehead. Then he smirked, remembering how his soulmate had done the same thing to him a lifetime ago. He smirked again when this act caused Houjun to blush even redder.  
  
"Well, 'ya sure are blushing now." Shun'u stated smugly.  
  
"H-hai." Replied Houjun.  
  
"D'ya want me to make you blush even more?" Shun'u asked, grinning evilly.  
  
"SHUN-CHAN!" Houjun said, glaring at the other boy.  
  
"Just kidding, Hou-chan, Just kidding." Said the flame-haired youth and he hugged the older boy closer to him. Leaning in, he whispered against Houjun's ear. "Ai Shiteru, Chiri-chan…"  
  
"Ai Shiteru Tas-chan." Was the unhesitant reply.  
  
  
And in the other world, the Creator rested with her hands folded behind her head,a smug smile of satisfaction on her ancient face.

Her job was done.  
  
  
  
_Yes it's sad to belong to someone else, when the right one comes along  
Oh, it's sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along_  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
OWARI DESU


End file.
